Monday, March 28, 2011

How To Vote For None of the Above

You may feel compelled to vote. Even though it's completely useless, none of the parties represent your interests and you're liable to get in a car accident on the way to the polling station.

Still, there's something inside you (call it years of brainwashing and indoctrination) that compels you to walk behind that piece of cardboard and tick off a name on a piece of paper. Well if you're looking for some kind of protest or boycott vote – here's you solution.

If you find yourself staring a ballot on May 2nd 2011, remember these kind words from Subsection 284(1) of the Canada Elections Act

84. (1) In examining the ballots, the deputy returning officer shall reject one(a) that has not been supplied by him or her;(b) that has not been marked in a circle at the right of the candidates' names;(c) that is void by virtue of section 76; (d) that has been marked in more than one circle at the right of the candidates' names; or(e) on which there is any writing or mark by which the elector could be identified.

The great thing about rejected ballots is that they are counted. All you need to do is follow one of the above instructions like making your own option to tick off (i.e. none of the above or putting a giant “A” with a circle around it over the candidates names.)

Since Elections Canada counts every single rejected ballot, this is our best means of showing Ottawa that we have selected “None of the Above.” Eventually, if this catches on, candidates may find themselves first-past-the-post only because the first place majority “rejected ballots” can't hold office.

Will this send a message to Ottawa? Will this process ever work in mass numbers? Who knows. Who cares. Voting is stupid. But if you find yourself staring at a ballot on May 2nd, please do the responsible thing and vandalize that piece of paper.

I vote Green, only party looking to change the stupid first past the post system in their actual party documentation (page 122 on the Vision Green April 2011 document).

Only party that will put Canadians first over party policies too. The Conservative and Liberal parties are both fascist-corporatists, looking only to please pharma, telecom and food giants like Monsanto.